adminChronicle Reporter
Cowdray Park residents hav3e resolved to barricade the main road leading into the suburb this morning to force commuter omnibus operators to reduce the fares to R5.The residents recently formed a taskforce to engage the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development over the increase of fares from R5 to between R6 and R7 and on Wednesday gave operators up to last Saturday to reduce fares.
In an interview yesterday, Ward 28 Councillor Collette Ndhlovu said residents resolved to block the kombis at the railway crossing (esiporweni) near Emakhandeni at 6am today.
“Our Saturday meeting resolved that residents will gather at esiporweni at 6am to block all kombis that are charging R7 from entering the suburb,” said Clr Ndhlovu.
“The taskforce has mobilised residents to gather at the site where police usually mount a road block. The resolution was that if nothing happens today (yesterday), then tomorrow residents are definitely barricading the road to block any kombi charging more than R5.”
A member of the Cowdray Park residents association Mr Nevison Chigondo said residents were determined to fight until kombis complied.
“Overcharging kombis will be off the road as from tomorrow,” he said.
Mr Chigodo said defiant operators continued to charge R7 and residents had since approached Zupco which has provided three buses to service the suburb but this was only during morning peak hours.
Residents and kombi operators have been fighting over the increase of fares from R5 to R7 for the past few weeks.
Online Reporter